Tinder Lighting
by EpicChocolate
Summary: Katniss's fire had been lit before she was born - by a brother that was killed for what he believed in and a sister that cared too much and did too little. Thalia-centric.


**Summary** – Katniss's fire had been lit before she was born - by a brother that was killed for what he believed in and a sister that cared too much and did too little. Thalia centric.  
**Notes** – If you haven't watched the Hunger Games,you should. Since its amazing. And I fangirl over Alexander Ludwig so much. No regrets.  
**Pairings** – Reyna/Percy, some Nico/Thalia  
_**WARNING**_ – They all will be somewhat OOC but they were in the Hunger Games people. They're not going to be the same.

* * *

Katniss Everdeen never would know it but she wasn't the spark that lit it all. She had been the wind that made the fire swell up,consuming all of Panem and the hearts and minds of the civilians. The tinder had been lit before she came along,slowly burning and slowly opening the eyes of a select few. Her fire had been lit before she was born - by a brother that was killed for what he believed in and a sister that cared too much and did too little. Katniss Everdeen would never know it but she was exactly what she represented. A Mockingjay. Something that sang a song that had been played before.

* * *

**The end began the moment Thalia** is knocked unconscious. At first,all she can hear are heartbreaking screams and pleads for mercy that wouldn't come. She imagines oh so sweet Nico being slaughtered before her eyes by the boy from District 1 gone insane.

She remembers screaming herself hoarse before stabbing him where he stood,driving her twin blades into his stomach,remembering everything her mentors had said.

_'If you're one of the two left,make the kill slow and painful. Give them something to watch,"_ and so she had done exactly that,she made sure she had dug the knives in deep enough to kill but not instantly.

Thalia climbed a tree and fell asleep to the sounds of his pleas for help. She's startled later when a rock is thrown at her and she falls,the wind being knocked out of her. Angered,she looks up and see the District 1 boy crawling pitifully towards her,his eyes pleading for her to make it end.

"_...Please...make it stop..."_he croaks out and she freezes and everything that has happen suddenly catches up to her.

How did Thalia,the headstrong but meaningful girl,turn into a murderous,merciless person?

"_The same way you survive. The Games change you Thals,even when you win...its still not over..."_her mentor's voice echoes as she pulls out of her swords and stabs his skull,the cannons echoing and Claudius Templesmith's voice booms,declaring her the victor of the 13th Hunger Games.

All she can do is faint as the hovercraft finally arrives,taking away the monster and the boy who simply wanted to go back home.

When Thalia wakes up,Percy is waiting at her bed,Reyna right behind him – both of them looking as if they had been crying.

"The Capitol has been in an uproar. You almost died twice on the operating table and Snow was terrified he wouldn't have a victor."Reyna whispers and she swoops into hug Thalia,shocking her with the display of affection that the 'Ice Queen' usually hid. Percy is next and when Reyna attempts to pull away to let the male mentor have his chance at embracing the victor,he pulls her back against his chest and brings Thalia along.

"We're so sorry,"he murmurs and Thalia jerks away,the horror of Nico being gone settling in. Oh no...no...no! He can't be dead! He isn't dead! She starts to struggle,screaming his name over and over and over until she can't scream any longer.

She tries to ignore the fact that Reyna has finally stopped fighting her and is just backed up against a wall,crying quietly,and that Percy had left the room,roaring and attacking anyone that came near him.

* * *

When Caesar is interviewing her, he brings up her breakdown at the end and Thalia sits there awkwardly,her hands tightening into fists and bunching up her teal dress. The camera pans to Percy and Reyna,both looking striking in their clothes but they looked pained,clutching each other's hand like a life line.

"I – we – understand all three of you cared for him deeply. Weren't you best friends in school? And isn't Reyna and Percy Jackson his adopted parents? How are you holding up?"he asks,taking her hand and rubbing circles with his thumb comfortably. Thalia takes a deep breath and closed her eyes and for a moment,she can pretend it isn't Caesar that is holding her hand but Nico. She could almost hear his strong laugh and feel his calloused hand rubbing her cheek. But when Thalia opens her eyes,the illusion is broken and Nico is still gone.

"I feel...empty."

* * *

She dreads going back to the Victors' Village,where Nico has always lived. Percy and Reyna can drown in their sorrows together,mourning for the two children they've lost in the span of two years,but Thalia has no one. Her brother is dead,murdered because he believed the Games were wrong,and her parents missing.

So she turns to alcohol,drinking it by the gallons and she tries to ignore the giant aching hole in her heart.

"Thalia,stop it,"Percy tells her when he visits,his green eyes narrowed at the bottle in her hand. She simply laughs before sitting down and going through the usual conversation with him – the upcoming Reaping, Reyna's pregnancy, and how they are going help the new tributes survive.

"Just tell them to run and keep on running,"Thalia laughs at her own joke and even Percy cracks a smile,looking like the twenty-three year old he is,not the boy who had to kill at 14. When he leaves,she grabs another bottle and turns the TV on,just listening to the static.

* * *

Her dreams alternate between being back in the Hunger Games,running for her life,shooting down anyone in her way, seeing Nico slowly die before her eyes,seeing his screams of agony and roars of anger as he fights back,slowly bleeding out to death. But if she had to chose,it was the dream of Jason that haunted her the most.

She could remember each detail of that day,wearing a black mourning dress as she stood in front of the stage,surrounded by everyone in District 4. It was a year before Reyna's reaping and she was clutching Percy's hand as a lifeline,her eyes empty and blank as she struggled to rein in her emotions. Nico is standing next to her,barely touching her,and staring at the stage with a mournful gaze. Jason stood in the center,his head lifted in that stubborn way of his, and his blue eyes shining with a fire that Thalia knew she could never match.

A Peacekeeper walks to the podium,the mayor standing next to him,staring at his feet,and glares out at the crowd.

"This!"he booms out and the silence feels like its about to suffocate Thalia. "Is what happens to people who don't believe in the Hunger Games! This is the punishment for speaking out against the Capital!"he turns and walks towards Jason with a lazy predator stride,taking his time. Jason just watches him walk closer and Thalia is suddenly struck with how he doesn't look like a condemned man. He doesn't have the panicked,frenzied look that the drunks that get sentenced did.

He was calmly heading towards his death.

Thalia isn't sure when she started scream but she knows she did when the Peacekeeper shoots Jason in the stomach,wanting to make the pain last. The blonde haired boy doesn't scream, just grits his teeth together and straightens up,glaring at him with such hatred that it scares his sister.

"The Games will be your downfall. You are killing the _future_ of Panem,"he spits in the Peacekeeper's face,his blood staining his saliva. The Peacekeeper staggers back,wiping at his face hurriedly as if its a disease before aiming his gun at Jason's head. He laughs,a sad smile forming on his handsome face.

"Killing me won't stop anything. People will fight against you – I know they will,"in the next second,Jason crumbles to the ground,dead the instant the bullet pierced his head. The lone representative from the Capital – sent to make sure the deed was done – claps,the noise echoing through out the silent town square. Crying silently,fighting to keep herself from screaming and begging for Jason to come back even though she knows he never _will_, Thalia walks up the stage to just _touch _her brother for one last time. She slides on her knees next to him,ignoring how the blood is still warm,and rubs his cheek,smiling sadly at him,her tears mixing in with the blood on his face.

"You're in a better place Jason. You're alright,you're...alright,"she struggles to get the words out and bows her head over his cold body,her own body shaking with every sob. "J-Jason. I'm sorry I couldn't save you! I love you! JASON!"she finally screams,throwing herself over his body,ignoring the fact she's in front of the whole district,letting all her tears out. When she gains a hold of herself and stands up,she's expecting to see only Percy,Reyna,Bianca,and Nico remaining. Thalia can't contain her awe when she's sees not one person has left,all of them standing there somberly,even the children that had cried upon seeing someone die at such a young age.

What surprises her the most is all the anger and hatred directed at the Peacekeeper as they all glare at him. The promise of retaliation,the promise of revenge for more than just one boy's death,is being said silently.

* * *

Reyna is sitting in the chair next to Thalia during the Reaping,her hands on her swollen stomach and glaring at the glass bowls that contained the names of the next _sacrifices. _Percy is standing behind them,looking imposing,and Thalia would be lying if she said he didn't look handsome. The mayor steps up to the podium,smiling and going through the normal speech before he is quickly replaced by a woman with green hair that matched seaweed that they harvested.

"May the odds be ever in your favor,"she smiles and Thalia makes a face,moving her mouth up and down to mock the escort and a few people snicker in the crowd,but for the most part,they stay stoic and uncaring. The escort – _Josie Falls _she faintly remembers – reaches her hand in the girls' bowl and after digging around,pulls out a slip.

"Piper McLean,"she reads and a face flashes through Thalia's mind. A girl that followed Jason around,so hopelessly in love with the oblivious boy. She watches,somewhat interested,as a pale(though she supposes it from the shock),pretty girl walks up the steps,looking like she was so desperately trying to keep herself together. Josie(such a stupid name,Thalia thinks)smiles at her,congratulating her for being a tribute(More like saying 'Hey! You're going to die! Congrats!'), before turning to the boys' bowl and pulling out two names by accident. She drops the extra one in and reads the other.

"Frank Zheng."

Thalia closes her eyes as the boy quietly makes his way up,trying to block out the image of the mother that begins to scream and beg and cry.

She tries not to think that they are going to die.

* * *

When she meets the male mentor from District 3,she wonders if he's insane and still believes he is in the Games. Leo Valdez is a boy who can't sit still,his eyes always moving,almost like he waiting for someone to jump out. But when he shakes her hand,Thalia can tell this man isn't insane,or anywhere close to it. He's happy and if she didn't know him,she would think that he never was in the deathtrap known as the Hunger Games.

"Leo. Victor of the 12th Hunger Games,"he sounds almost proud and she narrows her eyes. Was he a career? Did District 3 have careers? Thalia could almost find it humorous that she hates the very thing she is and Percy save her by saying anything wrong by walking up,wearing a soothing smile.

"Percy Jackson,the unfortunate victor of the 9th Hunger Games,"and Leo grins.

"Oh yeah,isn't that when the tribute from 7th or something blew himself up with equipment he found?"he asks and Thalia grimaces. She remembers that one. Jason had curled up next to her,his eyes wide as the fiery explosion claimed almost all of the remaining tributes,except for Percy who had been lucky enough to be swimming in a lake when it happened.

"Yes. Thalia,lets go. Piper and Frank will want us, to save them from Josie,"Percy tugs on her arm and she follows,but not before shooting a glare over her shoulder at Leo. It shocks her how he went from happy to sad,his eyes downcast and tracing a scar on his arm.

Maybe the Games effected even the most jovial of us all.

* * *

Piper McLean is killed in the first tens seconds of the game and Frank in the next day. Thalia could only stare blankly at the TV,her eyes blank and her mind going a million miles an hour.

Piper,_beautiful beautiful Piper_, and Frank, _sweet sweet Frank_ , killed in something for people's entertainment. A game that isn't a game. Something devised to show the Districts their place and for the first time in years,she begins to cry. They weren't the heartbreaking sobs that came out of her when Jason died,just a tear falling from her eyes.

Percy watched her with unreadable eyes and he looked down at his hands,before standing up, trying his best not to look at Frank's unrecognizable body.

"Lets go. Its time for us to leave,"he whispers and Thalia wipes away her tears,erasing any trace of weakness and stands up,following and shooting a glare at anyone who looks their way. She keeps her head held high and guards her eyes,trying to seem emotionless. They reach the door that will lead them to their train and the man watching the door smiles at them,as if their tributes hadn't died.

"You going on the District 4 train?"he asks,his accent heavy and Thalia opens her mouth but Percy cut in before she could utter a word.

"Yeah,our tributes just got killed,"he sounded calm,in control,and Thalia was startled from it, closing her mouth slowly and just standing there,looking so weak in comparison to the man next to her. And she _is._ Percy had been through the exact same thing she had but with a huge difference – he hadn't broke. He had emerged different, changed, scarred but he hadn't broken into tiny pieces like Thalia has.

The moment she enters the train,she throws herself on the couch and just sits,her eyes blank and she cries without knowing it since everything – _Nico dying, children dying, Jason dying, Piper dying, Frank dying, her innocence dying –_ has caught up with her and she's left gasping for air.

* * *

Thalia's never the same after. Her alcoholism becomes worse until most of the time she is drunk as fuck and not able to tell the ground from the sky. She's more often than not seen wearing one of Nico's old shirt,refusing to let him go. More and more tributes die and for each one,she cries since she doesn't want to keep happening and she doesn't want to care but she does and its hurt so badly.

Percy and Reyna try to help her,they really do, but they're so wrapped up in their newborn, spoiling it and defending it from the cruel reality and she laughs since its just so damn funny.

Two killers refusing to let their child, one that wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the blood they had to spill to just stay _alive, _grow up knowing that every year, people die in an arena.

She drinks to it since its so funny and she hasn't heard anything funnier in a long time.

* * *

Suddenly Thalia's whole life revolves around that little bottle and she wants to stop. She was so badly to stop since she doesn't want to end up _dead_ like the other drunkards. All Thalia wants in the world now is to see Bianca Nicole Jackson grow up to be a wonderful woman, to live, to love, to be free. But she knows,deep down, that she won't ever get that. The moment she broke down in that damned train was the moment she was condemned to a slow death.

* * *

"You ran off last time,"Leo says as he appears next to her and Thalia tilts her head slightly to acknowledge him,keeping her eyes on the screen where the Bloodbath was taking place and tributes were dropping dead like flies. For a second,she holds her breath as a career swings too close to one of her own tributes but at the last second pulls back,apologizing.

"Why doesn't District 3 have careers?"she asks before she could hold herself back but its already too late and the question is hanging in the air. In the back of her mind,she hears a nagging voice that sounds like Reyna saying _"Idiot. Pay attention to what you say. Even if you're not in the games,they're always watching.". _

"Good question...I suppose they don't want technology junkies learning how to fight. We're already smarter – no offense – and if we were trained to fight since we could walk,we'd be pretty much unbeatable."he shrugs,as if he doesn't really care either way,and Thalia stares at him for a bit,wondering why he didn't care. It was a complete fluke that he managed to win his game. The careers chosen that year were complete idiots and killed each other off,the final two had a death match where one barely survived. The one forgot Leo was still in the game and he killed him with no problem.

Thalia would be lying if she said she had nothing against the former victor. She hated the fact that he had managed through by hiding,killing the injured,and stealing food.

He was a _coward._ But even more,she hated the fact that because he hadn't to kill with his own hands,he only had to finish the job – an easy task compared to actually _killing_ someone. He didn't have to watch as the light faded from someone's eyes and knowing that you were the cause of it. She hated him with every fiber of her body.

Maybe she didn't hate,but she envied the fact he could smile like he had never been in the games because no matter how much she drunk,she still remembered Nico screaming and the determined look in Jason's eyes as they shot him through the head.

* * *

Leo's tribute wins,a pretty blonde that has haunted gray eyes.

* * *

After years and years and _years_ of tributes dying in the cruel games,she gives up.

Thalia Marie Grace is found in her home on December 2nd ,clutching Jason's necklace tightly to her heart and wearing one of Nico's old shirts. The most haunting thing was how there was a peaceful smile on her face like she had **finally found happiness.**

* * *

a/n – Er,I had planned on this ending all happy with her seeing Bianca grow up and being her salvation but my brain and hands typed this out. Meep,I need to control my stupid brain.

And yes,I made Jason be the catalyst of District 4 being traitorous to the Capital. Deal with it folks.

And that was terrible,wasn't it? Sorry about this sucky piece of a trash but I needed to post this before it ate me alive. I make myself laugh. Review please?


End file.
